2.3.7.1 History, Aims and Objectives
Introduced in the 1950s, the CAP originally aimed to ensure a stable supply of food
through improvements to agricultural productivity.
Beginning in the early 1990s, greater emphasis was placed on the environmental
dimension with the introduction of agri-environment schemes in 1992. The Agenda
2000 reform established two pillars within the CAP, with the first pillar providing
agricultural market and income support and the second pillar integrating rural
development policy more broadly.
Since the 2000s, the CAP has undergone major reforms, including the introduction of decoupled farm payments and compulsory cross-compliance, both
introduced in 2003.
The last round of the CAP reform for the current 2014–2020 programming
period increases the links between the two pillars and thus offers a more holistic and
integrated approach to policy support.
2.3.7.2 Structure, Components and Implementation
The structure of the CAP operates in seven-year budget cycles. Member states are
awarded a degree of autonomy in applying the CAP at the national and regional
level. This autonomy allows flexibility and results in varied implementation
structures for both first and second pillars, and in effect, diverse impacts on soil
across the EU.
The most recent CAP introduces a ‘greening payment’, where 30 % of the
available direct payments national envelope is linked to the provision of particular
sustainable farming practices. This means that in addition to the cross-compliance
mechanism, a significant share of direct payments will in future be linked to
rewarding farmers for the provision of environmental public goods.
Furthermore, under the second pillar a focus on environmental issues is
enhanced with the provisions to allocate at least 30 % of the rural development
programmes’ budget to agri-environmental measures, organic farming or projects
associated with environmentally friendly investment or innovation measures. The
agri-environmental measures will need to complement greening practices, in this
way meeting higher environmental protection targets. Furthermore, more focus is
given to mainstreaming climate change mitigation and adaption actions, for
example, by developing greater resilience to disasters such as flooding, drought and
fire (European Commission—DG AGRI and Rural Development 2013). However,
the most recent reform did not address the water issues explicitly.
Each member state is required to prepare Rural Development Programmes that
in addition to specific agricultural development policies also address the challenges
posed by the environment and climate change. Agri-environment schemes are the
36
U. Stein et al.
Introduced in the 1950s, the CAP originally aimed to ensure a stable supply of food
through improvements to agricultural productivity.
Beginning in the early 1990s, greater emphasis was placed on the environmental
dimension with the introduction of agri-environment schemes in 1992. The Agenda
2000 reform established two pillars within the CAP, with the first pillar providing
agricultural market and income support and the second pillar integrating rural
development policy more broadly.
Since the 2000s, the CAP has undergone major reforms, including the introduction of decoupled farm payments and compulsory cross-compliance, both
introduced in 2003.
The last round of the CAP reform for the current 2014–2020 programming
period increases the links between the two pillars and thus offers a more holistic and
integrated approach to policy support.
2.3.7.2 Structure, Components and Implementation
The structure of the CAP operates in seven-year budget cycles. Member states are
awarded a degree of autonomy in applying the CAP at the national and regional
level. This autonomy allows flexibility and results in varied implementation
structures for both first and second pillars, and in effect, diverse impacts on soil
across the EU.
The most recent CAP introduces a ‘greening payment’, where 30 % of the
available direct payments national envelope is linked to the provision of particular
sustainable farming practices. This means that in addition to the cross-compliance
mechanism, a significant share of direct payments will in future be linked to
rewarding farmers for the provision of environmental public goods.
Furthermore, under the second pillar a focus on environmental issues is
enhanced with the provisions to allocate at least 30 % of the rural development
programmes’ budget to agri-environmental measures, organic farming or projects
associated with environmentally friendly investment or innovation measures. The
agri-environmental measures will need to complement greening practices, in this
way meeting higher environmental protection targets. Furthermore, more focus is
given to mainstreaming climate change mitigation and adaption actions, for
example, by developing greater resilience to disasters such as flooding, drought and
fire (European Commission—DG AGRI and Rural Development 2013). However,
the most recent reform did not address the water issues explicitly.
Each member state is required to prepare Rural Development Programmes that
in addition to specific agricultural development policies also address the challenges
posed by the environment and climate change. Agri-environment schemes are the
36
U. Stein et al.